Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 283 The Masterminds

"Kaze...Kage-sama?! This...how is this possible?!"

Just now, the last serpent head, which was hissing wildly, was severed cleanly by the wind blade and crashed heavily to the ground. Facing the eight-headed giant serpent that was trying to regenerate its head, Menma did not hesitate at all. He quickly formed hand seals, and a powerful sealing spell instantly enveloped the huge headless serpent body, completely imprisoning it.

As expected, it was just a pawn used to buy time. Menma sensed the empty remains of the giant snake and confirmed that Orochimaru's true form had already escaped.

Then, under its control, Suzaku, one of the Nine-Faced Beasts responsible for guarding the sealed cocoon of Rasa, Kushina, and Mito, landed steadily beside Menma, holding a figure tightly bound by sealing runes. It casually tossed the figure to the ground—it was none other than the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa! Or rather, his sealed Edo Tensei form.

Menma raised his hand, temporarily releasing part of the seal. When Rasa's pale, stiff, and lifeless face, the captured Baki, and the other Sand Village ninja who witnessed this scene, their pupils suddenly contracted, and their faces drained of color, as if the sky had collapsed.

Maki instantly understood everything. Why had the Kazekage's recent decisions been so abnormal? Why was he so determined to cooperate with the Sound Village to launch this seemingly reckless war, even under the threat of [Jin]? It turned out that the "Kazekage" to whom they had been loyal and obeyed had already been assassinated and replaced by Orochimaru!

Their entire village of Sunagakure was manipulated, becoming pawns and cannon fodder for Orochimaru to realize his ambitions!

Menma's gaze swept over the Sunagakure members, who were plunged into immense shock and despair. His voice, altered and devoid of any emotion, reached everyone's ears.

"It seems that dragging Sunagakure into the war was not your intention. Sunagakure's actions and gullibility should have cost them their lives."

"But, considering you are also victims... I'll give you one chance. Take your Kazekage's body and go back to the desert. If you dare to have any more intentions of war... Sunagakure will be completely wiped off the map of the ninja world."

"Thump..."

Maki's legs buckled, and he could no longer support himself, collapsing to his knees, his face ashen. Overwhelmed by immense shame, lingering fear, and the relief of surviving a near-death experience, he completely lost the courage to even lift his head.

The other Sand Village ninjas were even more terrified, trembling all over, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Having successfully intimidated the remnants of Sunagakure after putting on a show, Menma's mind immediately returned to his true objective—that snake had to be brought down as soon as possible. In his mind, Orochimaru's final use of the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique was not a simple death throes; that guy must have a backup plan and would not give up easily.

He must be dealt with completely before he causes even more trouble... at least imprisoned or sealed away to prevent future problems.

"Please...please wait a moment!"

That aged yet urgent voice rang out again. Seeing Menma's chakra ripple slightly as he prepared to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to him once more. Even through the mask, the Third Hokage could sense the hint of impatience emanating from the other… but he had no choice; the question was like a bone stuck in his throat, and he had to ask it.

"Lord Menma! Could I... speak to you in private? I have a question... Please, I won't take up too much of your time!"

A question flashed through Menma's mind. Why would someone ask me such a private question at a time like this? Judging from the tone, it seemed to be a secret that couldn't be heard by the other Konoha ninja?

He pondered quickly, unable to fathom the Third Hokage's purpose. As for the main body... the war had basically subsided, and even if Orochimaru tried to escape, the main body would capture him, so he wouldn't be able to escape the Land of Fire for the time being.

Mianma finally nodded slightly, which could be considered as tacit agreement.

The two figures flashed, returning once more to the devastated rooftop of the Chunin Exams venue, scarred by battle. The Anbu below watched nervously, their hearts filled with worry, but under the Third Hokage's stern command, none dared to step forward. They could only watch helplessly as the Hokage and that enigmatic figure were once again alone.

On the rooftop, after a brief silence, the Third Hokage seemed to have used all his strength to take a deep breath. His weathered eyes were fixed on the holes in his mask, and he finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long, a question that had almost exhausted him.

"You...you really...are you Minato?"

"...???"

What is this guy saying?

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"Wait, wait, wait!! Okay, okay, the fight's over! We've only just met, there's no need to fight to the death like this!"

A raucous, comical voice echoed across the battlefield. The masked man, who called himself "Afei," was desperately dodging attacks from all directions in a disheveled, scrambling manner.

The ground around him was already ravaged, riddled with deep trenches and charred pits, and several ominous black flames still burned stubbornly, turning everything they touched to ashes.

"Honestly, I shouldn't have agreed to help Orochimaru-senpai! But even he himself suffered a crushing defeat!"

While frantically dodging, Ah Fei shouted in a complaining tone, "How about we all back down and stop here? Peace brings wealth!"

However, Uchiha Shisui, standing opposite him, did not relax in the slightest despite the other's exaggerated performance and words. His crimson Mangekyou Sharingan calmly observed everything.

Being able to control the tailed beast, and still handling the attack with ease just now... Shisui was certain that this guy's performance, like the mask on his face, was a carefully designed disguise.

In their previous encounter, Afei had indeed been alarmed to discover that Shisui seemed to have vaguely grasped some of the patterns of his [Kamui] intangibility ability. Therefore, even though the ability was still present, he deliberately pretended to be forced into a precarious situation.

Since the plan to destroy Konoha had failed again… Tobi thought to himself, but this wasn't his main objective. It seemed it was time to retreat.

"I'm so envious that you still have so much energy!" Ah Fei continued in that exaggerated tone, "But I'm already tired, and my stomach is growling... Do you like glutinous rice balls? But we don't seem to be that close yet, like 'becoming friends after a fight,' right? Haha!"

"Don't even think about escaping! Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

Shisui remained unmoved, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, his chakra surging forth! Several ferocious, blazing fire dragons instantly materialized and pounced towards Tobi!

"Whoa! Wait, wait! I haven't decided what to call this ninjutsu yet!" Tobi screamed in panic.

Just before the fiery dragon was about to devour him, his body, as if merging into the water, sank rapidly into the ground without warning and disappeared without a trace.

The blazing flames swept across, turning the area into scorched earth once more. When the firelight dissipated, only an empty crater remained, with no trace of A-Fei to be seen.

"Phew... That was dangerous~" In the distance outside Konoha Village, on the branch of a towering tree, space slightly distorted, and Tobi's figure appeared out of thin air.

He patted his chest and muttered to himself in his signature carefree tone, "Why do I, a mere intern, have to face such monster-level opponents... Oh! I've got an idea!"

He suddenly snapped his fingers. "That technique we just used is called—Ninja Art: Whack-a-Mole Technique! How about that, pretty fitting, right?"

Just then, a strangely shaped humanoid creature, resembling a giant Venus flytrap and half black and half pure white, silently and slowly emerged from the tree trunk beside him.

"The leader of [Jin] has appeared," Zetsu said. "Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation to summon the previous two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Fourth Kazekage, but they were all defeated and sealed by that 'Menma' in less than ten minutes."

"Wow! I can't believe it! Just kidding." Ah Fei immediately exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

"Everything is going as I expected."

But the next second, his voice suddenly changed, becoming low and cold, as if he had become a completely different person.

He slowly turned his head, his only visible eye peeking through the hole in his mask, looking at Jue. "So, can we confirm it now? Who exactly is the true identity of that organization's leader?"

"Yes," he answered with absolute certainty, "I saw it... briefly, but I saw it clearly—the true face beneath that guy's mask."

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(Sorry it's a bit late, the author has been sick with a cold these past couple of days and isn't feeling well while writing.)